Caron Simply Soft

Hey there…

I am trying to do an amigurmi type pattern in Caron Simply Soft…is it just me, or is this stuff really sucky to work with?

Every time I try to get a hook through, it hooks on the plys of the other strands…:wall:

Because it’s loosely twisted (which is what makes it nice and soft) it may split when worked at a tighter gauge, which I suppose you need for the amigurumis. It’s nice at a looser gauge.

It’s not just you. I avoid crocheting with Simply Soft (simply sucky?) yarn, it needs a larger than usual hook IME. I find it knits better than it crochets.

I’d switch yarn if that’s an option. I’d rather RHSS for this type of crocheting.

Good luck!

Yeah…it is my choice if I am going acrylic…but wow…crocheting it sucks…

I may just have to move on to something else…sigh…I am making something for school…and don’t like to use any cheaper yarns when possible…but when charity knitting…I will go cheap!

I love Caron Simply Soft and have used it for all kinds of things (both knit and crocheted)–mainly because it’s soft and machine washable, which makes it great for baby things.

I’ve never a problem with the yarn splitting or with picking up parts of other stitches. Are you using the correct size hook? You could try going up a hook size or two to see if that helps (it often does).

Sorry you’re having such a difficult time!

Since she’s working on something that will be stuffed, she needs the smaller hook size. So using a larger one might not make it as tight as needed. Though if she’s using a pattern for a thinner yarn, that hook may well be too small.

Yes, but sometimes even for stuffed things, you can go up a hook size without any problems. And if someone’s not using the right hook size to begin with, then it’s not the yarn’s fault for splitting.

I am stuffing this yes…but I am also stuffing it with beans. Not stuffing (think hacky sack…but not) I mean…the other option would be to encase the beads in a little pouch and go larger…but that creates more work in a project meant to be quick and easy…and cheap…

I got going on a smaller hook…it isn’t easy going, but I do like the results…I guess it will just be balencing out whether it is worth it or not…

i don’t crochet with simply soft yarn it splits out to much.

It is really soft yarn but my horror story concerns growth. I knit a spiral hat for my son and it fit him beautifully until he washed it. It grew!! Now it is toooooo big and the dryer didn’t bring it back to the original shape. I find it also splits and get caught like others have said.

There are two yarns I use that are reasonable in price, soft, and don’t split. One is Bernat Premium acrylic. I’m mad cuz my local Walmart stopped stocking it. Another one is I Love This Yarn acrylic from Hobby Lobby.

I ran into a real rough spot with the Caron Simply Soft I was(am) using to make a poncho…I discovered a huge unfixable mistake and figured I could easily rip it out and start over…NOT! This stuff got knotted all on its own…I spent an entire weekend plus most of a Monday getting that darn stuff unknotted and untangled…I swear, if it wasn’t so pretty, and I hadn’t bought so much…I would have trashed that entire project…I managed to tie together the many sections I had to cut to untangle this yarn…it may be soft and very pretty, but boy-howdy is it a humdinger to get untangled…lol

Did you wind the yarn into a ball as you ripped it out? That can keep it from tangling.

I’ve been using Simply Soft to knit a shawl…and i had to frog a couple rows and it was a nightmare! it was pilling, and splity - i thought i was going to lose it!

I have used it lots of times before and never had any problems with it! i’ve knit and crocheted baby blankets, hats, scarves, etc and its been wonderful! I’m wondering if i didnt just get a bad skein? oh well…my project was saved and its back to smooth sailing now!

on a side note, another fantastically soft and wonderfully reasonably priced is Hobby Lobby’s in house brand “I love this yarn.” They have a ton of color choices including solids, verigated, and sparkley! all worsted weight! I believe at my Hobby lobby its 3.99 a skien, but goes on sale for $3.66 quite often. They also have I love this cotton, and i love this wool. It is all fabulous quality, and fantastic price. Its my go to worsted acrylic! I hated using RHSS because i think its too itchy!!!

but anywho…thats my ramble for today i guess!

happy crocheting!

I’ve never had any problems with ripping out Caron Simply Soft and reusing it, and I’ve done it a bunch (because I mess up a lot). I hope they haven’t changed the quality of their yarns!

On the other hand, I’ve pretty much stopped buying any yarn from Hobby Lobby. They drastically downsized their yarn department several years ago and then they started carrying pretty much ONLY their own yarns (the I Love This ___ and the Busy Bee or whatever that ungodly priced crap is), both of which I find inferior! And then to top it all off, their prices are astronomical compared to other yarns of the same kilt. I’ve complained to them about it, and they just brushed off my concerns. So I’ll stick with Caron Simply Soft and other brands that make quality yarns, have good customer service, and don’t try to rip you off!

Okay, I’m through!

I use worsted acrylic almost exclusively, and I love this yarn is the softest i’ve found that is at a reasonable price.And i do consider it a quality yarn…ive never had any trouble with it. It obviously isnt the best out there, but i’m a big fan! :cheering: I do use SS quite a bit too, but I love this yarn is my go to! It may be a bit more expensive than RHSS, but i honestly CAN’T STAND knitting or crocheting with it. I love this yarn holds up beautifully and is fantastic for baby things! If i’m looking for something other than my usual worsted acrylic i go to joanns or knitpicks!

I guess it all comes down to personal preference! Everyone is different!

Do you have any other brands that you use oftern that you could recommend for me to try out?!

I love how passionate we all get about our yarn! :yay:

You could try Lion’s Woolease, Bernat satin, and Paton’s has a couple of yarns that are blends or all acrylic.

That’s odd. I have not had problems like this when frogging back. Maybe it was that certain skein.

I don’t use acrylic as much anymore now that I’m knitting wearable objects and lace (since acrylic isn’t so nice to wear in hot or cold weather and doesn’t hold knit lace stitches well), but I have used Red Heart Soft yarn, which is acrylic, to crochet with. I’ve not had any problems with it becoming tangled or splitting too much.

Of course, when people complain about Caron Simply Soft splitting, I always wonder what size crochet hook they’re using. If your hooks too small, of course it’s going to split–that’s true for any yarn and too small of a hook.

Anywhoo! The Red Heart Soft yarn is a nice, soft acrylic. I’ve also used Vanna Choice yarn some as well–also an acrylic–and had good results.

I have found JoAnn’s in my area to have the best prices on most yarns (including CSS) and their sales give higher percentages off.